List of Tables

An increasing number of children in the United States are exposed to
toxic chemicals because methamphetamine laboratories are being operated in
or near their homes. In addition, these children often are abused or
neglected by the parents, guardians, or others who operate these
laboratories. The number of children found at seized methamphetamine
laboratory sites in the United States more than doubled from 1999 through
2001.

Photo of a small boy wearing a protective suit being led by a man in California
Department of Forestry uniform.

A 5-year-old boy had to be decontaminated when police
found a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in his Palm Springs home
in November 1999. Riverside County Fire Department/California Department
of Forestry Capt. Larry Katuls leads the boy, wearing a protective suit,
to a police car.

Methamphetamine laboratory sites typically contain toxic chemicals and
waste as well as finished product and drug paraphernalia. Children who
inhabit homes where laboratories are present often inhale dangerous
chemical fumes or gases or ingest toxic chemicals or illicit drugs.
Exposure to these substances can cause serious short- and long-term health
problems including damage to the brain, liver, kidneys, lungs, eyes, and
skin. Children whose parents or guardians produce or abuse methamphetamine
also are likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems stemming from
abuse or neglect. In addition, inhaling or ingesting toxic substances such
as those present at methamphetamine laboratories may cause cancer or
death.

Few areas of the country have programs in place to coordinate the
social and legal aspects of cases involving children at methamphetamine
laboratories; however, implementation of an effective program is possible,
as illustrated by the Drug Endangered Children (DEC) program in
California.

Most, if not all, of the children present at methamphetamine
laboratories are exposed to dangerous chemicals including precursor
chemicals, reagents used to convert precursor chemicals into
methamphetamine, solvents, and the drug itself. The number of children
present at seized methamphetamine laboratory sites increased from 950 in
1999 to 2,028 in 2001, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) National Clandestine Laboratory
Seizure System as of May 15, 2002. In 2001 approximately 35 percent (700)
of the 2,028 children found at methamphetamine laboratory sites tested
positive for toxic levels of chemicals in their bodies. (See Table
1.) In
2001 the states reporting the highest number of children present at
methamphetamine laboratories were California (503), Washington (326),
Oregon (241), and Missouri (161). These figures are recognized as
underreported because many states do not keep records on children present
at laboratory sites or medically evaluate them for the presence of drugs
or chemicals.

Chemicals used in methamphetamine production are extremely hazardous
(see Table 2). The risk of exposure to toxic chemicals at laboratory sites
may be much greater for children than for adults. Young children, unlike
adults, engage in behavior that can lead to increased incidents of
exposure such as placing their hands and objects in their mouths and
playing on floors, tabletops, and countertops or outdoors in the dirt.
Producers who operate laboratories in or near residences often produce
methamphetamine using common household items including kitchen utensils,
dishes, appliances, sheets, and other linens. These items may become
contaminated and then fall into the hands of unsuspecting children. Toxic
chemicals also frequently are discarded outdoors near areas where children
play. For example, in April 2002 a methamphetamine laboratory was
discovered in the bedroom of a 1-year-old child in Deville, Louisiana.
According to officers from the Deville Police Department, the child was
found moving about the home in a walker at the time of the raid. The
infant's parents were charged with multiple drug-related crimes as well as
child desertion, which includes negligent exposure of a child younger than
10 to dangerous or hazardous situations. Local authorities took custody of
the child.

Chemical: Pseudoephedrine
Hazards:Ingestion of doses
greater than 240 mg. causes hypertension, arrhythmia, anxiety,
dizziness, and vomiting. Ingestion of doses greater than 600 mg. can
lead to renal failure and seizures.

Chemical: Acetone/Ethyl
Alcohol
Hazards: Extremely
flammable, posing a fire risk in and around the laboratory. Inhalation
or ingestion of these solvents causes severe gastric irritation,
narcosis, or coma.

Chemical: Freon
Hazards: Inhalation can cause
sudden cardiac death or severe lung damage. It is corrosive if ingested.

Chemical: Lithium Metal
Hazards: Extremely caustic to
all body tissues. Reacts violently with water and poses a fire or
explosion hazard.

Chemical: Hydriodic
Acid
Hazards: A
corrosive acid with vapors that are irritating to the respiratory
system, eyes, and skin. If ingested, causes severe internal irritation
and damage that may cause death.

Chemical: Iodine Crystals
Hazards: Gives off vapor that is
irritating to respiratory system and eyes. Solid form irritates the eyes
and may burn skin. If ingested, it will cause severe internal damage.

The physical effects resulting from exposure to the toxic chemicals
present at methamphetamine laboratories vary based on the manner in which
the chemicals are introduced into the body. Children at methamphetamine
laboratories may absorb chemicals into their bodies via ingestion,
inhalation, skin contact, or accidental injection.

Although exposure most frequently results from inhalation or through
contact with the skin, ingestion poses the greatest risk to a child's
health. Children may ingest toxic chemicals by eating or drinking
contaminated food or beverages--which may be prepared using the same
kitchen utensils and appliances used for methamphetamine production--or by
placing a contaminated object into their mouths. Children also have
consumed various forms of methamphetamine. Ingesting toxic chemicals or
methamphetamine may result in potentially fatal poisoning, internal
chemical burns, damage to organ function and development, and harm and
inhibition to neurological and immunologic development and functioning.

Long-Term Risks to Children

A child's developing brain and other organs are more susceptible to
damage at specific maturational levels, and children may be less able
to process and eliminate chemicals than adults. A child exposed to
toxic chemicals may develop acute or chronic diseases such as cancer
and organ damage. In addition, children who have lived in a home where
methamphetamine was produced often exhibit emotional and behavioral
problems that may persist indefinitely.

Source: Drug Endangered Children
Program.

Inhaling chemical vapors and gases resulting from the methamphetamine
production process causes shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain.
Exposure to these vapors and gases may also cause intoxication, dizziness,
nausea, disorientation, lack of coordination, pulmonary edema, chemical
pneumonitis, and other serious respiratory problems when absorbed into the
body through the lungs.

The chemicals used to produce methamphetamine may cause serious burns
if they come into contact with the skin. Chemicals often are spilled onto
surfaces within the household where methamphetamine laboratories are
operating, and sometimes the chemicals are spilled directly onto children
present in these areas.

Many methamphetamine producers also abuse the drug, sometimes via
injection. This increases the risk of a child's being injected
accidentally with methamphetamine or other drugs when needles and drug
paraphernalia are left within a child's reach. Contact with contaminated
needles also can expose children to infectious diseases such as HIV and
hepatitis.

Children at methamphetamine laboratories are at risk for other injuries
as well. Some chemicals used in methamphetamine production are highly
volatile and may ignite or explode if mixed or stored improperly. For
example, in February 2001 Catoosa County, Georgia, authorities responded
to a fire and explosion in a home. An 11-month-old infant was rushed to
the hospital in critical condition with burns and other injuries. The
infant passed away after several months. The parents, who were fugitives,
were captured in July 2001 while attempting to purchase precursor
chemicals.

Methamphetamine producers and abusers typically become so
preoccupied with the drug that they abuse or neglect their children. According
to Inland Narcotics Clearing House data, nearly 70 percent of the child abuse
cases reported in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California, during 2001
were methamphetamine-related. Children whose parents or guardians produce or
abuse methamphetamine typically lack proper immunizations, medical care, dental
care, and necessities such as food, water, and shelter. For example, in March
2002 Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies found four children who were begging
for food in their neighborhood in Diamond Bar, California. The deputies found
that the children had been left alone in their home, which had no food, water,
or electricity. The children led the deputies to a methamphetamine laboratory in
the family's garage. The children frequently were present at the laboratory
because they were being homeschooled in the same garage.

Law enforcement authorities, prosecutors, social workers, medical
professionals, and hazardous materials cleanup crews are increasingly aware of
the serious risks faced by children who are present at methamphetamine
laboratories. However, many communities have not yet implemented strategies that
allow legal, social, and medical professionals to combine their resources
effectively and break the cycle of child endangerment.

Butte County, California, developed a collaborative effort to improve the
safety and health of children endangered by drug production, distribution, and
abuse in 1993 when it initiated the Drug Endangered Children (DEC) program. DEC
brings together law enforcement officers, social workers, public health nurses,
and district attorneys in a cooperative effort to remove children from homes
where methamphetamine is produced and to safeguard the children from further
abuse and neglect.

Four-Year-Old Child Found at Methamphetamine Production Site

In March 2000 narcotics task force
officers and a DEC social worker in Butte County discovered a methamphetamine
laboratory at a residence while conducting a probation search. Upon arrival,
they discovered a 4-year-old girl, naked, playing outdoors beside laboratory
waste and a dead cat. It was discovered that her mother had been producing
methamphetamine in a travel trailer located on the property. The child drew
pictures and spoke clearly about a glass smoking pipe and numerous incidents
of domestic violence she had witnessed in the home. The mother was arrested
for manufacturing methamphetamine, maintaining a residence to manufacture,
being armed in commission of a felony, and child endangerment. The child was
taken to a local hospital for lab work and a physical exam where toxicology
screens were positive for methamphetamine and other illicit drugs. She was
infested with head lice and was suffering from infections in both ears, which
required immediate medical attention. The child, who was developmentally
delayed, was placed in a foster home that deals specifically with drug
exposed, at-risk children.

The DEC program is a model by which many agencies can learn how to best
address the legal, medical, and social issues associated with children present
at methamphetamine laboratories and other hazardous drug production and abuse
environments. A key component of the DEC program is a response team that is on
call 24 hours a day. The DEC Response Team--which includes social workers,
trained fire department personnel (members of the hazardous materials unit, in
particular), public health nurses, and law enforcement personnel--is called upon
frequently to treat and care for children found at laboratory sites and assist
with the criminal investigation. The entire DEC Response Team receives
specialized training regarding methamphetamine production and the circumstances
specific to drug endangered children, and all personnel have experience or
receive training in criminal investigations related to evidence collection in
child endangerment cases.

In Butte County, California, where the DEC program was informally developed
in 1993, the team has removed 80 to 100 children from drug-related endangerment
situations each year since its inception and has successfully prosecuted
hundreds of cases of child endangerment. Other counties in California have had
similar success, and nine other states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah,
Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois) have begun to replicate DEC Response
Teams in their local communities. In Riverside County the DEC program was
officially begun in 1999. During the initial 18 months, 33 methamphetamine
laboratories were seized where children were present. Eighty-three children were
taken into custody, and felony charges were filed against 75 individuals. In
Orange County the DEC team has coordinated the removal of children from
methamphetamine laboratories and has assisted the Orange County District
Attorney's Office with charging their parents with felony child endangerment.

Due to the success of the program in California where it is now operating in
15 counties, the National Methamphetamine Chemical Initiative (NMCI) will fund
the travel of DEC instructors to other states interested in starting a program.
(See DEC Points of Contact.)

The number of children present at methamphetamine laboratories,
which more than doubled from 1999 through 2001, is expected to continue to
increase at an even higher rate. As the number of children present at
methamphetamine laboratories increases, more will suffer the physical and
psychological effects associated with exposure to dangerous chemicals, and the
number of related abuse and neglect cases will increase. Law enforcement
agencies, medical personnel, and social workers will continue to be challenged
to develop innovative solutions such as the DEC program to address this problem.